A Coalition government would shift the education debate from a discussion about ''more money'' to one about ''values'', according to education spokesman Christopher Pyne.

A priority in government would also be to improve the quality of teachers by bringing back ''more traditional'' teaching methods, Mr Pyne told ABC Radio.

Christopher Pyne says a Coalition government would shift the education debate from 'more money' to 'values'. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Pyne said the first thing he would do in government would be to establish a ministerial advisory group to advise him ''on the best model for teaching in the world''.

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He would ask the advisory group how the Coalition might ''bring out more practical teaching methods based on more didactic teaching methods, more traditional methods rather than the child-centred learning that has dominated the system for the last 20, 30 or 40 years''.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr said on Wednesday that Mr Pyne had revealed by his comments that he would not fight for more money for schools if he became Minister for Education in a Coalition government.

Mr Pyne said he supported Australia's current education funding model – where the states fund public schools and the Commonwealth funds private schools – despite the Gonski report saying that a ''concerning proportion of Australia's lowest performing students are not meeting minimum standards of achievement''.

This is also despite Australia slipping on international benchmarks in the past decade in reading, maths and science.

Asked whether he agreed with the basic principle of the Gonski review, which is that Australia needs a world-best school system regardless of where you live, your income or the school you go to; Mr Pyne said ''of course I agree with that'' but he believed Australia already had such a system.

''Education is not just about money,'' he said. ''It's about values, it's about teacher quality, curriculum, pedagogy and principal autonomy. That's where the debate needs to be, not this facile argument about who's offering more money.''

Mr Pyne said he was attracted to some of the Gonski recommendations such as the loadings to improve the situations of disadvantaged students, ''whether they're indigenous, disabled, low SES and non-English speaking students''.

Such a model would fit with the Coalition's philosophy because it would be ''sector blind'', he said.